SEMLIKI NP

Semliki National Park

Semliki
Forest National Park is one of Uganda's most important safari destinations
for bird watching and chimpanzee tracking tours. The 220 square kilometer
(130 square mile) park is one of Africa's most biodiverse forests.

It supports an exceptional variety of mammals, birds and butterflies. This
is attributed to the forest's great age. During the dry conditions of the
last ice age, 12,000 to 18,000 years ago, most of Africa's forests shrank
and disappeared. Only a few patches like Semliki survived, protecting its
forest species. Additionally, Semliki lies in a transitional location between
central and eastern Africa, and to a variety of habitats, notably forest,
swamp, and savannah woodland.

There are
63 species of mammals, including 27 species of large mammals. Forest elephant
and forest buffalo are smaller versions of their savanna relatives. Hippos
and crocodiles are found in the Semliki River.

The following species of mammals are also found in Semuliki National Park:
blue duiker, beecrofts flying squirrel, pigmy squirrel, little collared
fruit bat, water chevrotaain and target rat.

There are 9 species of diurnal forest primates like the chimpanzee, blue
monkey, vervet monkey and olive baboon, and the park's nocturnal primates
include poottos and galagos.

At least 374 species of butterflies and moths have been identified including
46 species of forest swallowtails and charaxes plus at least 81 species
of large moth, 12 of which are classified as restricted. The wide range
of species is attributed not only to the forests location, but to
the varied habitats, forest swamp, grassland, bush land and an extensive
system of hotsprings, warm swamp and savannah woodland.

Semliki is located 375 km (225 miles) west of Kampala, and is a 6 hour
drive.